Vancouver-Based Mostly The Barbers Celebrates 20 Years - The Columbian

Pacific Northwest haircut chain The Barbers is celebrating 20 years in operation this month. The household-owned company began with a single barbershop in east Vancouver specializing in men’s style haircuts and grew to 34 locations throughout two states. The corporate plans to commemorate the milestone with an all-day anniversary occasion June 1 at the original location at 1900 N.E. 162nd Ave., offering free meals, drinks, music, prizes and half-price haircuts, as well as a fund-elevating partnership with the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society. The corporate was founded by Vancouver residents Alison and Don Lovell, who proceed to operate its shops along with a bunch of franchise partners. The original location has been joined by 9 extra outlets in Clark County, with a number of extra in Spokane and the remainder in Oregon. The company employs more than 350 barbers and averages about 2,500 haircuts per 30 days at every shop, in keeping with Don Lovell, for a total of slightly below one million haircuts per yr for the whole company, serving over 750,000 purchasers every year. The Lovells opened the first retailer in Could 1999, drawing on their intensive experience within the hair business - Alison as a hairdresser and Don on the sales and operations aspect. They developed the Barbers idea in response to a pair of industry tendencies on the time: the widespread use of a contracting business model through which individual barbers would basically rent workstations from salons and barbershops, and the decline of independent mom-and-pop barbershops, which left men with fewer places to go for easy haircuts. “Guys had been getting their haircuts at salons,” Alison says. The Lovells saw an opening for a enterprise model that would provide a standard barbershop expertise for men and provide full employment for barbers. They decided to open their first shop as a part of the 162nd Place buying middle, which was beneath development a couple of miles from their home. It took some work to persuade builder Gramor Development to take an opportunity on the untested thought of a barbershop for males, Alison says. But the brand new shop shortly took off. The Lovells ended up opening their next few shops in Gramor developments in Battle Floor and different Clark County areas. Alison took the lead designing the store interiors, settling on a wooden-and-steel aesthetic with cement floors, open ceilings and a paint and decoration scheme that evoked the feeling of a retro barbershop. In addition they included old-college options like a popcorn machine, free soda and shoulder massages after the haircuts. The design labored nicely, and the Lovells have caught with it at subsequent outlets, making only a few adjustments over time. TVs have been added at each station, along with a full lineup of sinks as an alternative of just two on the again of the store. Among the larger places additionally embody a pool desk. The primary shops used refurbished vintage barber chairs, Alison says, however lots of them proved to be too tall for among the stylists. So the chain switched to custom modern chairs with a standardized design. However other than that, the feel and appear of each new Barbers store hews very close to the model laid out by the unique location. The Barbers tried to give attention to suburban markets within the early years, Don says, as a result of that’s the place they felt the decline of mom-and-pop retailers had created the most important lack of service. Most of the brand new shops still aim for the suburbs, although some have additionally opened in central Portland. The suburban places give each store alternatives to develop into involved in the surrounding neighborhood and take on a “neighborhood barbershop” role, and that’s an facet the Lovells say they’ve persistently tried to push, with frequent sponsorships and participation in charity occasions corresponding to a food drive for the Portland Police Bureau’s charitable Sunshine Division. Additionally they take a community method to advertising, Alison says, by printing T-shirts for local youth sports activities groups and different organizations with the Barbers emblem on the again. The Lovells formed their first franchise partnership after 5 years in the enterprise, when their buddies Kim and Barry Spiegelberg offered to begin working Barbers locations in Washington County, Ore.  Salon Vancouver  joined in subsequent years: John and Connie Oljar, who centered on the Clackamas County, Ore. Dan Dickau, the previous standout NBA participant with quite a few native ties who set up four outlets in Spokane. The partners were already buddies with the Lovells, who remained closely concerned in designing the brand new outlets and teaching the enterprise model. The employment mannequin has remained constant at all the shops - the barbers are employees somewhat than contractors, with paid holidays, health care advantages and access to firm-large training occasions. However they’re still inspired to build their very own following of customers, Don says, and each store’s entrance counter has business playing cards for each worker. The consequence has been a consistent document of employee retention, Don says. He attributes to that retention to the company’s success because it ensures customers keep coming again to visit their most popular barbers. “The greatest drawback in our business is turnover,” Don says. “Barbers are at all times trying to find better money. The expansion rate has been sluggish however steady over the chain’s 20 years. And the Lovells say it’s been consistent even in the midst of the recession that began in 2008, which didn’t result in a drop in enterprise. The Lovells say they aren’t actively trying to add extra franchise companions. They prefer to maintain the company’s development at a slow and natural rate that allows them to stay carefully involved, evaluating potential new stores on a case-by-case basis. “We don’t have the need to be 500 barbershops,” Alison says. The company has stayed in the household - not solely as a result of the franchisees are shut mates, but because Don and Allison’s youngsters, Olivia and Alex, grew up within the haircut trade and are taking on new roles within the Barbers. Alex has his barbers license and Olivia handles the company’s marketing and human sources sides.